Ball feeding device



y 67 J. G. HAWORTH 3,319,824

BALL FEEDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 11, 1965 INVENTOR JAMES G. HAWORTH MMMATTOREYS United States Patent 3,319,824 BALL FEEDING DEVICE James G.Haworth, 100 Green Lane, Eugene, Oreg. 97402 Filed Oct. 11, 1965, Ser.No. 494,979 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-184) This invention relates to a feedingdevice wherein a spherical article is fed into a chute one at a timefrom a jumbled mass of such articles. The particular device illustratedis designed to feed tennis balls from a hopper into a ball-throwingmachine, but it should be understood that this is only one applicationof the device, and that the device is applicable to any situationwherein it is desired to feed spherical articles one at a time into someother device.

Heretofore, ball throwing machines for practicing tenhis have beenwell-known, but the feeding of such machines has presented a problem. Inorder for the ball throwing machine to operate properly, it is necessarythat the balls be fed through some form of chute, one at a time, intothe ball throwing machine. If one attempts to use an ordinary hopper,such as a vessel with a conical bottom, the balls tend to bridge overand jam so that such a feeding device is completely unsatisfactory.Thus, it has been necessary to manually feed the balls into the chute sothat they will not jam.

In accordance with the present invention, a simple feeding device isprovided having a large hopper thereon with an agitator in the bottom,wherein it is only necessary to throw the balls into the hopper and thedevice will feed the balls in an orderly manner, one at a time, into achute.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a device embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of FIG- URE 1 showing analternate form of structure.

Referring now to the drawings by reference characters, the feedingdevice of the present invention is adapted to feed a ball throwingmachine generally designated 5, the ball throwing machine forming nopart of the present invention, and therefore, being represented only inblock form. A chute 7 of a suitable size so that the articles inquestion will roll in single file, leads from the feeding device of thepresent invention, generally designated as 9, to the ball throwingmachine 5.

The feeding device includes a hopper 11 of generally cylindricalconfiguration having a disk 13 forming a bottom for the cylinder, thedisk 13 being mounted on a bearing 15 for rotation within the hopper. Asuitable drive means is provided for rotating the disk 13, and this canbe in the form of a disk 17 mounted on a common shaft 19 with the disk13, the shaft passing through bearing 15. A friction wheel 21 mounted ona shaft 23 serves to rotate the disk 17 and thus the disk 13. It will beun derstood that the friction wheel 21 can be moved radially withrespect to the disk 17, to vary the speed and that the shaft 23 isturned by a suitable prime mover, such as a power pick up from the ballthrowing machine, so that the disk 13 can be driven at any desiredspeed. This particular form of device is for illustrative purposes only.

Mounted upon a disk 13 are two bars, namely a ball break-up bar 25 and adeflector bar 27. It will be seen that the break-up bar is set infurther from the periphery of the disk 13 than is the deflector bar 27,the deflector bar 27 being set almost at the periphery of the disk.Further, it will be seen that the bar 27 makes a greater angle Ice thanthe bar 25, so that when balls are contracted by the bar 27, they willbe deflected outwardly and into the chute 7. The chute 7 is providedwith a deflector 29 which extends over the disk, but is set sufficientlyhigh over the disk to provide clearance for the bars, as at 31. A cover32 prevents balls from entering the top of the deflector, preventingjamming. Bar 25 is preferably set so that its outer end rides under 29with its tip about the width of a ball from the wall of the hopper. Bar27 also passes under 29 with its tip much less than a balls width fromthe edge of the hopper.

The action of the device is such that as the bar 25 moves under theballs, it agitates the balls and prevents the balls from jamming andbridging. As the disk continues rotation in a counterclockwisedirection, as shown by the arrow in FIGURE 1, the bar 27 moves againstthe balls, urging them forward and outwardly and into the chute 7. Thedeflector 29 helps pus-h the balls into the chute 7.

In FIGURE 3, an alternate form of structure is shown, wherein thedeflector bar, herein designated 27A, is provided with a hook-likeextension 33 at its inner end. This tends to make the action morepositive and increases the effectiveness of the device, particularlywhen the hopper is fully loaded. Thus an improperly placed ball 35 mayprevent the ball 37 from entering the chute. The function of extension33 is to move ball 35 out of the way and to permit ball 37 andsuccessive balls to enter the chute.

It is believed apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a simpleyet effective feeding device for a ball throwing machine or the like.

I claim:

1. A feeding device for a ball throwing machine or the like comprisingin combination:

(a) a cylindrical, vertical hopper,

(b) a disk forming the bottom of said hopper, said disk being mountedfor rotation therein,

(c) means for rotating said disk,

(d) a ball break-up bar on said disk, said break-up bar forming a slightangle to a radius of the disk and tending to propel balls outwardly,

(e) a ball deflector bar on said disk, said deflector bar making agreater angle to a radius than said break-up bar, and

(f) a chute leading from said hopper and substantially forming a tangentthereto,

(g) a deflector adjacent the end of said chute extending outwardly oversaid disk and having sufficient clearance with said disk so said barscan pass thereunder, and

(h) a deflector cover covering the space above the deflector wherebyballs cannot enter from the top of said deflector.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the ball break-up bar terminates inan inwardly extending hook.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 816,776 4/1906Baruer 222-410 1,095,621 5/1914 Blue 222-24 1,240,202 9/1917 Hastings221183 1,393,744 10/ 1921 Blue 222-242 2,704,144 3/1955 Rety et al. 221182 2,853,176 9/1958 Kay et a1 221-482 2,959,324 11/1960 Hendrickson etal. 221-168 3,2443 19 4/ 1966 Fessman 221203 WALTER SOBIN, PrimaryExaminer.

1. A FEEDING DEVICE FOR A BALL THROWING MACHINE OR THE LIKE COMPRISINGIN COMBINATION: (A) A CYLINDRICAL, VERTICAL HOPPER, (B) A DISK FORMINGTHE BOTTOM OF SAID HOPPER, SAID DISK BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION THEREIN,(C) MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DISK, (D) A BALL BREAK-UP BAR ON SAID DISK,SAID BREAK-UP BAR FORMING A SLIGHT ANGLE TO A RADIUS OF THE DISK ANDTENDING TO PROPEL BALLS OUTWARDLY, (E) A BALL DEFLECTOR BAR ON SAIDDISK, SAID DEFLECTOR BAR MAKING A GREATER ANGLE TO A RADIUS THAN SAIDBREAK-UP BAR, AND (F) A CHUTE LEADING FROM SAID HOPPER AND SUBSTANTIALLYFORMING A TANGENT THERETO, (G) A DEFLECTOR ADJACENT THE END OF SAIDCHUTE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OVER SAID DISK AND HAVING SUFFICIENT CLEARANCEWITH SAID DISK SO SAID BARS CAN PASS THEREUNDER, AND (H) A DEFLECTORCOVER COVERING THE SPACE ABOVE THE DEFLECTOR WHEREBY BALLS CANNOT ENTERFROM THE TOP OF SAID DEFLECTOR.